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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26818705">White Light</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatertotarmy/pseuds/tatertotarmy'>tatertotarmy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A Brand New Season: A SoS/3oT Zine, Animal-Based Puns, Character Study, Gen, They said it couldn't be done, Woofio Backstory, a serious woofio character study with his backstory, but i'm the madman who did it, that's right I said it</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:55:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,076</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26818705</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatertotarmy/pseuds/tatertotarmy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Well, isn’t this a <em>dog</em>gone <em>cat</em>astrophe we have here, don’t you think?” Woofio gestured dramatically to a sparrow perched on his nose, his voice echoing through a bare, snow-draped forest. In front of him were two sets of footprints trailing further in the snow - small boots and dog paws - that he dutifully followed, not once diverting his course.</p>
<p>The sparrow chirped happily on his nose, hopping from one side to the other.</p>
<p>Woofio sighed, his arms hanging sadly at his side, “Well, you’re thinking awfully  <em>paw</em>sitively, aren’t you? Holly could be lost here <em>fur</em>ever! Don’t you think you should be more serious?”</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>Written for A Brand New Season: A SoS/3oT Zine.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>A Brand New Season</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>White Light</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Well, isn’t this a <em>dog</em>gone <em>cat</em>astrophe we have here, don’t you think?” Woofio gestured dramatically to a sparrow perched on his nose, his voice echoing through a bare, snow-draped forest. In front of him were two sets of footprints trailing further in the snow - small boots and dog paws - that he dutifully followed, not once diverting his course.</p>
<p>The sparrow chirped happily on his nose, hopping from one side to the other.</p>
<p>Woofio sighed, his arms hanging sadly at his side, “Well, you’re thinking awfully  <em>paw</em>sitively, aren’t you? Holly could be lost here <em>fur</em>ever! Don’t you think you should be more serious?”</p>
<p>Another bounce. Another happy little chirp. </p>
<p>“You’ll help? Really? <em>Purr</em>fect!” Woofio’s arms went up in excitement, startling the little bird, “Thank you, <em>woof</em>!”</p>
<p>The sparrow chirped some more, and then spread its wings, flying up to the sky, following the trail of footprints from high above.</p>
<p>Once the sparrow disappeared between the trees, Woofio’s arms lowered, his shoulders sagging. His feet kept moving one after the other, but with an accelerating tempo with every step he took. It was funny how well he could mask the fear in front of any person or animal around him. But the second he was alone, everything crumbled right down. </p>
<p>“I’ll be right there, Holly…” The previous bounce of his voice completely gone, leaving only a husk. “I’ll be there as soon as I can…”</p>
<p>After all, Holly was missing somewhere in these woods. And he wouldn’t stop moving until he found her. </p>
<p>The news first reached Lulukoko when Holly hadn’t met with Ludus for lunch. And as soon as Ludus began asking every villager around, Ford and Lisette arrived from Westown with similar concerns. An appointment missed. An order of flowers forgotten. </p>
<p>As that group searched the other towns hoping to catch her doing errands, Woofio went directly to her farm. And there wasn’t a trace of her. There were hardly any footprints at all on her farm, just a trail of everyday farmwork traced in the snow. </p>
<p>That is...except for two sets of footprints leading out to the woods.</p>
<p>Woofio had peered in, seeing just how far they descended into the woods, much further away than any human should dare. Far enough away that she could get lost. </p>
<p>Lost in more ways than one.</p>
<p>Woofio concealed the trails, kicking snow over them before anyone else could see. After all, he couldn’t just let anyone else wander out there. It was cold. Any human, no matter how bundled up they were, would freeze out there. They would shiver, grow numb, feel weak, or get hurt! Woofio never had to worry about those things, but humans? It was positively dangerous.</p>
<p>And, of course, there were other dangers lurking in the woods, too.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Don’t wander too far off now!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>A kind woman with blue hair and dark skin walked onto the porch, a thick shawl on her shoulders and a half-knitted scarf bundled up in her hands. Woofio - human, a child no more than eight years old - looked back at her and frowned.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“But Mom...everyone at school gets to go play wherever they want!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The woman’s eyebrows furrowed, and she looked out to the woods surrounding them, “I’m aware...but you must be careful. They say that a spirit of mischief lives in these woods...it wouldn’t be good to wander right into their snare.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Woofio snorted, “Yea, right. Those don’t exist…”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>His mother looked at him, giving a warning glare.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Well they don’t!” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She sighed, tucking a long, blue strand of hair behind her ear, “Just please promise me you won’t wander too far. You can play as much as you want at school, okay?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Woofio crossed his arms, huffing a little bit, “Okay…”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“And be back before dinner!” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Woofio groaned, turning around to walk away with a small wave of his hand.</em>
</p>
<p>If only he had actually listened to her that day. Would he still be there, at home? Would he have ended up in this situation, stuck in a dog costume for a body, trekking through the snow to save someone from a similar fate?</p>
<p>It was impossible to know, though there was only one thing for certain. If he hadn’t ended up like this, then nobody would be around to find Holly. And there was no telling what would happen if she were to meet a mischievous spirit like he had. </p>
<p>After all, they hardly ever looked different than a person.</p>
<p>
  <em>Woofio huffed, marching further and further into the woods, his footsteps disturbing the untouched snow. Why was his mother so paranoid all the time? There was no such thing as spirits! After all, he was told at school that the tooth fairy didn’t exist, and that turned out to be right! So that meant that there was nothing to be afraid of out here.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Maybe his mother just didn’t see how awesome this forest was. So many trees to climb. So many cool things to see! It was honestly the best place to play!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Woofio grinned, determined not to let his mom’s ravings ruin his afternoon. After all, anything he found here was a thousand times better than anything at home.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He stopped, seeing something in the corner of his eye. A flash of light, flickering between the trees. He looked over and spotted the source: a glowing white light, floating carelessly in the wind.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“A lightning bug?” Woofio asked, walking towards it, a curious look on his face, “But it isn’t even spring yet...”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The light swirled around in the air, swaying back and forth in front of his eyes. And then, it began to drift away, weaving slowly between the trees.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“H-Hey, wait!” Woofio called out, racing after it, “I just want to look at you!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He didn’t know how long he gave chase to the light. Everytime he grew close, it would speed further away. Everytime he felt like he had an edge on it, it would zip between another tree to throw him off guard. And yet...every time he fell behind, the light went slower. And everytime he lost sight of it, it would sway right back into view.</em>
</p>
<p>Back then, Woofio called it luck. Nowadays, he called it something else.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Come on!” Woofio panted, his lungs practically burning, “Just one minute!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He took a few more rushed steps towards the light, only for his foot to catch on a root of a tree. He fell, and a hiss of pain escaped him as he crashed right to the ground.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Oh dear, are you alright?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>A child’s voice, neither masculine nor feminine.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Woofio slowly looked up to see a child. And behind the child, a completely different picture.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Before, there was a dense forest coated in snow in front of him. Now, there was a house in the center of a lush green clearing. The house was small and made of brick with countless vines growing up the walls, surrounded by lush green plants Woofio had never seen before. Blue roses growing vibrantly in bushes by the front door. Snapdragons growing plentifully in bunches across the field, as though not bothered by the cold weather. And floating all through the space were countless swirling lights like the one he had been chasing.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The child in front of him was around his age. A child of brown hair and plain, grey clothing. And though Woofio could see the child as plain as day, if he looked away, he would scarcely remember what the child even looked like. They were...nondescript. Nothing striking about them. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>That is, except for their striking green eyes.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The child smiled, offering their hand, “That was quite a fall you took.”</em>
</p>
<p>Nowadays, Woofio called it being lured into a trap.</p>
<p>Which is why Woofio could only run further into the woods, going faster and faster. He didn’t know what this forest housed within. But he couldn’t simply sit still with the possibility of a spirit like that inside. At best, Holly was just lost and cold. At worst...she could have been tricked by something similar. Lured into a house in the forest with a promise of warmth and company. Left unaware as the days passed outside, entire nights that only felt like hours. Kept distracted and happy. Trapped.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Do you want to play with me?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The child stood by the front door of the house, holding the door open for him. Woofio tilted his head, feeling curious.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“You want to play?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Of course!” the child smiled, “It’s been such a long time since someone saw me. Please come in for a while!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Woofio shifted a little bit, anxiously rubbing a scratch on his hand from the fall. He couldn’t help but remember what his mother said. But then again, that was silly, right? This kid hadn’t seen anyone because they lived so far out in the woods. Of course they hadn’t seen anyone in a while! It wasn’t like this child was a spirit.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But still…</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>A brush of cold on his nose. Several snowflakes falling on his eyelashes. Woofio blinked, looking up at the sky, where countless snowflakes fell now, all descending down to the lush green clearing, landing upon vibrant grass and beautiful flowers. He shivered, looking at the child again.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Come inside!” the child spoke, gesturing to the open door, “It’s getting pretty cold, isn’t it?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Woofio looked back in the direction of where he came from. His mother said to be back before dinner...but it wouldn’t be bad to stay there a while, right? After all, the snow might get worse.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And he couldn’t help but feel...curious.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He turned back and walked towards the house, a mischievous look in his eye as he stepped inside, several of the strange lights following him.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Behind, the door shut and locked itself.</em>
</p>
<p>A flash in the corner of his eye. A dart of light shining through the trees.</p>
<p>Woofio froze, his head looking right to the source. And what he saw was something he thought he would never see again.</p>
<p>The same light he saw all those years ago, when he was still human. A firefly in the middle of winter, shining brightly like a lighthouse in a storm. </p>
<p>He only hesitated a second before breaking out into a sprint, darting through the trees along the trail of footsteps. Woofio could see the light racing beside him. This time, Woofio wasn’t in pursuit. He was racing the light. Racing as fast as his unfeeling body could take him.</p>
<p>He could only hope that his body could run fast enough to stop it. He needed to find her...and prevent his fate from happening to her.</p>
<p>
  <em>As time went on in the house, Woofio found that he never ran out of breath. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>At first, when he began playing with the child, he needed to take breaks between running around the seemingly infinite rooms. But after every break and every meal, he felt that he hardly needed to rest anymore, and that he never needed to slow down no matter how fast he ran. The child was...fun. Quirky. Magnetic. Everything seemed exciting when they were around. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And when they played, time flowed like a dream. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Things felt hazy. After a while, it was easy to forget or question things. That the house he ran through was much larger than the one he entered. That his favorite foods were left out in the many different dining rooms inside...but coated with an odd taste that he could never identify. That the child could play pretend with him and make the imaginary real. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>At one point, the child jokingly called him ‘Woofio’ when they pretended to be dogs. And soon...it became simply the name he was called.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And then...it became a simple fact that the child was magical. A spirit of the forest. But that fact didn’t bother him. That’s all it was: a fact. And Woofio wondered how he could have questioned it in the first place.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It was only when Woofio remembered his mother did he finally snap out of it. Or...rather, it wasn’t him remembering his mother. It was the lack thereof. A woman telling him to come back before dinner. A woman he couldn’t remember the face of. Only the dark skin, a thick shawl, unfinished knitting in her hands, and curly blue hair framing a blurred face.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Once he remembered who this woman was, he ran.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The child called after him. Begged him to stop. But Woofio didn’t stop. He ran and ran and ran. Out of the house. Into woods blooming into spring. Running between thick trees and foliage, never once thinking how he never tired. He never ran out of breath. He never stopped...until his foot caught under a tree root, sending him tumbling to the ground.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Woofio rolled over to a puddle lined with melting snow, his reflection catching that of a strange dog costume. And before he could even process that thought as his mascot-like hands reached up to his face, one simple fact came to him. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>One last fact, breaking him out of the dream.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He didn’t remember his real name.</em>
</p>
<p>What would happen if Holly forgot her own name?</p>
<p>Woofio couldn’t help but think that, even as he ran as fast as he could. Would a spirit take her name, too? What would he do? He would repeat it to her as much as he could, to try and help her remember who she was. Holly was such a kind friend, the only person he had ever told of his true identity: a person spirited away and left in a husk of a dog costume, wearing a jolly mask to live as he searched for a cure. And she listened without thinking him crazy or strange, deciding to remain his friend. </p>
<p>If Holly was struck with the same fate...he would trade his own chance at a cure for her to be spared of even a second of it. </p>
<p>A loud chirp came from above, and Woofio looked up to see the sparrow overhead, flying just above the trees, weaving around the occasional light that flickered in the air.</p>
<p>“You’re back! <em>Purr</em>fect!” Woofio exclaimed, “Did you find her?”</p>
<p>The sparrow chirped again, flying further ahead, leading the way. Woofio followed, watching as more lights flickered around them, growing in number the further they went.</p>
<p>The lights swelled around them, lighting up the entire wood, and then parted.</p>
<p>Before Woofio was a familiar sight. A patch of green in the center of a snow-covered forest, lights dancing all throughout the sky. There were countless impossible flowers jutting up from the ground, looking beautiful and alien at the same time. Only instead of a house...there was an impossibly large tree stump - large enough in diameter to once house a tree many miles tall - hollowed out with a bed of soft, lush, green leaves, countless vines making a soft wall within. </p>
<p>And in the center of this bed of leaves, curled up and asleep with a small puppy in her arms, was Holly.</p>
<p>Woofio gasped, rushing right into the tree stump, “Holly!” He knelt down beside her, giving her a gentle nudge. No response. Immediately, Woofio’s worries grew. Something was wrong. Did something happen? Did she encounter a spirit here already? Of course she had, if she were in a place like this. </p>
<p>“Holly!”</p>
<p>He nudged her again, more forcefully this time. This time, she began to stir, her face contorting with obvious grogginess. Her eyelids began to open up…</p>
<p>And the second her eyes opened, the scene around them was gone. The bed of lush leaves was replaced with a thick mound of snow, several snowflakes sprinkled in her hair. Holly blinked, looking around, dazed and confused. And then, she finally looked up at him, her shoulders visibly relaxing.</p>
<p>“W...Woofio? Is that you…?”</p>
<p>Woofio couldn’t help but feel absolutely overjoyed, reaching down and catching Holly in a big hug, pulling her in close, “Holly! You’re safe! And you’re definitely Holly, right? You aren’t some other name, right?”</p>
<p>“Y-Yes…? That is my name…?”</p>
<p>“Great!” Woofio squeezed her tighter, “That’s just great! Wonderful! Fantastic!” </p>
<p>Another thought came to him, and he stopped, grabbing her shoulders and holding her at arm’s length.</p>
<p>“What were you doing out here? It’s dangerous!” Woofio chidded.</p>
<p>“I know it is...” Holly shrugged him off and pointed down, “But this little guy decided he wanted to have a little adventure. He ran off the second I opened my front door.” The two of them looked down at the puppy, who was sleeping serenely in the snow. </p>
<p>Holly groaned, “And look at him! Not a speck of guilt in him. He’s just sleeping away like he never did anything wrong.”</p>
<p>If Woofio could furrow his eyebrows in this mascot costume, he would have done it a thousand times over. Oh, he would have a talk with this puppy the second he got the chance!</p>
<p>“But…” Holly took in a deep breath, looking around, “I can’t believe I passed out here. Strange...it doesn’t feel like I’ve been sleeping in the snow…”</p>
<p>Woofio was silent for a long moment, knowing what exactly happened. Her not knowing - or not remembering - how she was brought to that clearing worried him. What if she made a deal? What if something was missing that he couldn’t see yet? What if -</p>
<p>“Hm? Woofio? What’s wrong?”</p>
<p>Woofio stopped, looking down at Holly, who looked at him with concerned eyes, her puppy now cradled in her lap. She was worried, he knew. But she couldn’t be worried for him. After all...it was her who almost had a brush with a fate of his own.</p>
<p>If something was stolen from her, fine. She wouldn’t need to worry. He knew he would get it back for her, no matter the cost. A dear friend to him didn’t need to fret. He would take care of the rest.</p>
<p>“I was just thinking…” Woofio stopped, letting the mask carefully slip over him again, “You really need a better…<em>paw</em>dyguard.”</p>
<p>“Oh, stop it!” Holly snorted, standing up with her puppy in her arms, “Let’s go home, okay?”</p>
<p>Woofio stood up beside her, giving her an exaggerated salute, “Yes, ma’am!”</p>
<p>As the two of them departed the forest, only one small light followed, swirling between the trees until it vanished beneath the snow.</p>
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